After my recent trip I am glad to get home to some great fishing. I’ve found snook fishing to be hot with snook almost anywhere you look.

The continued warm water finds snook still on the beaches around any structure or free roaming the surf zone as well as a very strong bite still happening in the passes.

Others are starting to return to the harbor in preparation for their fall transition, as well as the near pass flats, dropoffs, creek mouths, and the river itself. There are reports of a good bite in the mouth of the river and all through the slow zone approaching the river mouth.

All the docks are producing, such as the ones inside the passes, the docks on the east side of Sanibel Island, Punta Rassa and many river docks. Bait is very plentiful, so a well-placed whitebait or pinfish surely will get attention.

For lure guys, Mir-O-Lures are working great as well as Rapala X-Raps and a ton of other plugs as well as the classic D.O.A. type plastic shrimp

For those looking for that one big trophy (for a picture) never overlook fishing a 12- to 15-inch or larger live ladyfish near any bridge or large dock structure, especially at night. I prefer a strong outgoing tide using stout equipment and a heavy leader. I typically gear up with 60- to 80-pound braided line attached to a small, strong, swivel (SPRO swivels are great) then a 4- to 8-foot piece of 60- to 100-pound test fluorocarbon leader.

Some may say this is overkill, but if you are looking for a once-in-a-lifetime trophy memory, don’t go under gunned, especially fishing around snags, docks, and bridge pilings. Choose between using a float or balloon and floating your bait back to the structure with the tide and/or freelining your ladyfish. I always like to use a large circle hook to minimize damage to these big female battlers.

Another method is to slow troll a large lipped plug along dropoffs in the channels along and under bridges as well as in the passes. A good plug is the standard offshore grouper plug, the Mann’s Stretch series of lures, although almost any large (10- to 12-inch) deep diver will work at one time or another.

A giant snook rarely will refuse a slow, wobbling, huge plug pulled right in front of her nose near the bottom. This is a method that’s not used much around these parts, but will produce. I like trolling along the Cape Bridge as well as through it. Mix up your passes to cover a lot of ground and cover the structure thoroughly.

Again, I will stick to my heavy equipment for this snag-filled environment. Also, be prepared for bites from giant grouper, as well as tarpon, when using this method.

Remember, if you get lucky and hook that once-in-a-lifetime trophy, please handle her carefully. Try to keep the fish in the water while unhooking it. I like to use wetted gloves and while getting a firm hold on her jaw slip your other hand under and lift the fish while supporting its belly weight for a quick picture.

Take time to revive these trophys as they are the future of the sport. Although most snook start out as males, all big snook are female spawner,s so please handle carefully.

The redfish bite is on and schools are gathering in all the usual places in Matlacha, Burnt Store Bar and other yearly producing spots. Approach slowly and quietly with your trolling motor or, better yet, your push pole and keep boat noise to a minimum. Picking out fish on the school edges rather then casting to the center of the school will allow you to stay with the school without spooking them and will allow you to catch more than one fish from the pod.



Capt. George Tunison is a Cape Coral resident fishing guide. Contact him at captgeorget3@aol.com, or (239) 282-9434.